Fobie Friends Review and Giveaway

Disclaimer: I was given the products in this post for the purpose of a review.

I was not paid in any way to write this review.

All opinions are my own.

Mommy and I recently received Fobie Friends products to review and today you get to see a rare sneak peak of mommy. You usually hear her voice and you've seen her once or twice but she doesn't like taking pictures so this is a very rare sighting. We are even both wearing the Fobie Friend Tees that they sent. One was included for mommy, how awesome are they?

Here's a little about Fobie Friends taken from their website:

Almost all parents observe fear in their children. Fear is a natural, instinctual response to a potential danger. It is a protective measure that increases survival chances. Whether rational or not, a child’s fears feel and are perceived as very threatening and real, and often parents find great challenge in consoling a panicked or fearful child. While it is important to feel fear, it is also necessary to learn how to react to a situation that causes fear. With a few helpful tools, a fear may gradually become less or even subside.

Fobie FriendsTM was created for entertainment purposes and seeks to address common childhood fears and self-efficacy issues by enhancing self-empowerment through imagination. Developed into a beautiful book series, our stories and products accompany communication between parents and their children. By use of metered rhyme, vivid imagery and familiar story lines, the Fobie book series helps children easily remember and relate to the lessons shared in each of our stories.

Now I hate the dark, I really do and mommy is afraid of heights so I guess it's just not us little ones that have fears. We all do! Fobie Friends helps us to conquer those fears with their awesome books that are very pleasant to read. They illustrations are exceptionally done and the books holds your attention. Mommy and I read them all and had lots of fun reading them. We really loved the rhyming! Notice our Fobie Friends Tee that we are wearing? The tees are made of 100% cotton and are tagless. I really liked that because I hate feeling the tags in the back of my shirt. They fit rather well and I loved the designed. Mommy wore the owl and I wore the gorilla. Total opposite of our phobias but we were fine with that.

Now let me go through the Fobie Books that we received. Each book follow a child through their fears and help with tips on how to conquer those fears. There are even Plush Toys to go along with the books as well. The books are hardcovers and mommy and I wish that they would make them into board books for us smaller kids because mommy doesn't trust me reading them by myself. She thinks I might tear the pages apart and she may be right.

Mommy and I read "Climb The Monkey Bars? That's Banana's" and followed the story of a little boy who's afraid of heights, which is why he's afraid to climb the monkey bars. Kind of like mommy who's afraid of heights. Maybe mommy needed this book as well. Closing his eyes takes him to a magical world where he meets his gorilla friend who helps him to overcome his fears. He even teaches him the breathing technique which mommy says actually works. At the end of the book he faced his fears and says "I don't fear my fears, my fears they fear me".

Next we read "Hold your Seahorses! Water is the Worst". This is the story of a little girl heading to the beach but is afraid of the water. She only wants to play in the sand because she's afraid of what might be waiting for her in the water. She also closes her eyes and gets to meet Seahorse who takes her on a magical journey underwater, letting her see that there was nothing to be afraid of. In the end she also overcame her fear and took that leap of faith with her mom and stepped into the water.

Last we read "Did My Owl Just Growl?" Now those who know me know that I love owls. Just look at my new theme and my room. They are covered with owls everywhere. This also turned out to be written just for me. As I mentioned before, I'm scared of the dark. I don't like sleeping without a nightlight or my room in complete darkness. If mommy forgets to turn it on before she leaves the room while I'm asleep and I wake up, I start screaming. I'm sure my neighbors have probably thought that I was being killed before in the middle of the night. It's no fun at all. Did My Owl Just Growl is of a little boy who's also afraid of the dark. Once his room is dark he keeps hearing creepy sounds all around but he soon had a friend who came to help him. Mr Owl helped him by letting him know that the night is just like the day. By using his "owl" eyes he started seeing things differently and also overcame his fears. I really recommend these books for any child who are having any fear at all and think that these make really great gifts. With a little bit of encouragement they can also overcome their fears. I give Fobie Friends my Two Tiny Thumbs Up!You can connect with Fobie Friends via their Website where you can purchase your very own Fobie Friend Plush and Books. There are also tees and keychains and even e-books for those who would prefer it that way. You can also connect with Fobie Friends via their Facebook and Twitter pages.One of my awesome reader will win a Fobie gift pack which consists of all three books, a plush toy, and a Fobie key chain. That prize is even as awesome as you are! The giveaway is sponsored and will be delivered by Fobie Friends and is opened to US Residents. Winner will be chosen by PunchTab and will have 48hrs to respond to the email sent or a new winner will be announced.

Disclosure: Growing Up Madison receives products in order to conduct reviews. No monetary compensation was provided unless noted otherwise. All opinions are 100% my own. Some posts may contain affiliate links that I receive commission for payment from in exchange for referrals. In the event of a giveaway, the sponsor is responsible for delivery of the prize, unless otherwise noted in the posting. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I personally believe will be a good fit for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

How adorable. My youngest has problems sleeping lately and I'm starting to wonder if he's afraid of the dark even though he's not telling us that. But he will come out of his room in the middle of the night, and yell at us to open our door just so he knows we are there. Anyway, glad to see you Madison and Mommy too!

I think you're a lucky little girl to have a mommy who finds such cool stuff! And you two look fantastic sitting there reading! My kiddo sometimes has a dark fear. We spray "Mommy Magic Spray" all around the room every night and it seems to work, we also read a Veggie Tales book about fears and how God is bigger than any of those things. These would be very useful as well. I will have to check into them. Thanks!

I'm terrified of snakes and spiders...always have been. I shot a hole in Grandpas barn when I was 13 to kill a snake. The little 'gal was a good shot, I had to fix the barn though. Thanks for this giveaway. I just love the Owl.

About Me

AnnMarie John is a lifestyle blogger, mom of 4, retired army veteran and a huge Disney lover. Formerly from the beautiful island of St. Vincent and the Grenadines in the Caribbean, she migrated to the concrete jungle of New York City where she spent most of her adult life. She now resides in colorful Colorado where she's able to see the mountains on a daily basis. Join her on her adventures.